New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-12
HUNDREDS OF ROBBERIES.
THE WORK OF RAILROAD CREWS IN OHIO.

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from barrel OF whiskey to bble" was what Attorney
Hampton Of the Pennsylvania Company said to-day.
when talking about wholesale and systematic robberes
OF freight the Pttsbug. Cincinnati and st. Louis
Railroad in which seventyve ont OF eighty crews each
composed Of four men, said to be implicated The
operations Of the thieves extended three years and
the value OF the goods stolen Is varously estimated at
from 100000 S5OOOO0 The first arrests we're made
In Pittsburg about a. M to-day over half hundred
men being lodged in the county jail here and arrests
being made all along the line between this city and Col
umbus Ohio. II is said that 400 warrants have been
issued nefourh for train and keepers Of fences
In this city, Attempted murder included in the thirty
five charges against the thieves Brakeman Baker
| lie a member OF the crew whose train few
months ago attacked by train robbers. The fireman,
who not In the secret shot, and for long time
lay between life and death 1t is fact that none OF the
engineers and iremen implicated in the steangs. AS
result OF toays arrests there is blockade in the Pan
handle freight yards and it will DO couple Of days be-
fore freight trains running with regularity
Joseph Rue special agent OF the Pennsylvania Rail-
road and Detective Gikeson have been at work for
time tracing the perpetrators Of the robberes Mr.
Rue said:
Two years ago decided 70 dispense with locks the
cars ana introduced present system OF seals The
seal OF lead ABOUT the size ofa vcceat piece and Is
about oneeighth OF inch in Thickness. The wire used
in connection with 1t Is one-sixteentl inch iron wire
I'M are s I'm IN IL to us Den Pe rGs s
through the hasp OF the car doors then back through the
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then used in impressng the seals. That use in
Pitsburg stamps npon the inverse side the letters tiers
Pttsburg Cincinnati aud ST. Louis Railroad, bound west
ward The two wires are Embedded at the same stroke
as the letters are imprinted.
Eastern bound trains were not molested by the rob-
bcrs Westward bound trains have been the sufferers.
As near as estimate IT, these robberies have been
going & on for two years At n s there was y rywpa dpS
boaer and more general until lately every train
was sufferer. We became cognzant OF the ROD
| through
Ncwiork merchants whose western. customers gave
proofs that packages had been broken both in bulk and
In severay the evidence in each case being clear that
| tho packages were opened In transit
reports from western points showed that the seals were
always seemingly intact For long time we blamed the
Ncs-York. aud the Dock Street Station at Phadel-
phia as nearly all o. our western bound eRt was hr rus
places We found finally that our employees at these
work SUns on our oad east OF PttsSng Searched
the entire Pennsylvania Railroad up to PttsDurg ana
west Of Pittsburg After two months work we found
that the robberes were committed between Plttsbnrg
practising gigantic scheme OF robbery The seals
on the were GENERALLY found intact when the ears
One dark night one Of our brightest men stumbled
which they were successfully tampered with. Concealed
behind he the freight crew come to Union
was thrown back and the car entered. when the
with their plumber they made of to the caboose.
and the conductor pulled back the door, ran the wire
through the seal where II had been pulled out and with
board struck II blow The wire went BACK 10 its
Ing the lettering either side, AMI the seal was appar
entity untouched saw one OF thee; anu u "s rs oY W W
closest scrutiny that person could detect mat IL had
been tampercd with
owed 80 closely that out OF all the arrests made st bgn
ald this morning there was not one man but had
ono ease lately the pursuit hot that twenty-five
boxes Of fine cigars were hastily burned In eaboose
fine silk being thrown from cahoose into the Mononga.
hela River In another case crew broke open car and
i if nf al he
ins ~othng STEAL thrust iron bar into AN
organ and t We have evidence that freight con-
dnctor broke into car, opened piano and sat and
played all night stopping at midnight 10 eat MS supper
piano n dive night when captured Another brake
the cloth for two other suits TO two OF his friends
Anoher has become expert on stolen accor-
dcon In all experience of twenty nine years never
saw such a taste for msce aneous stealing Everything
except coffin and blacksints anvil has been stolen
ana made or some OF our detectives assured me this
morning that arrested but had from halfa
dozen to dozen pairs OF clean socks ~ the finest
quality and large assortment OF shirts OF all kinds
The thieves who were at their homes
taken their trains To do this it necessary TO
display the red light at the Seconave crossing and side
track the trains they came in This was so quickly ex
ccuted that when the theyng mustered on the little
platform what the rel light meant they hand
cuel before they had time ask what the red light
for Train after side tracked, and the cabOose
cars, containing many evidences OF their depredaons,
were cut and searched. The combination TO rob
freight train made necessary the guilty knowledge act
more, and the brakeman or hagnan 10 did not,
OF necessity take In the front brakeman nagman nor
the engineer fireman.
IL was not required that they should wreck trains
to rob They no mere gatherers-up OF scattered
goods like the mob who carried of the hams at the riots
The Government bonded cars were broken. perhaps,
oftencr tnau tho ordinary Union Line freight
In these they always knew they could get choice
goods Silks cigars rifles all kinds OF improved firearms
and cadiies OF tobacco seemed to be some
OF their necessities. Boxes Of shoes and
general OF merchant supplies for their
everyday found openly displayed
In the caboose cars OF each Hundreds OF boxes
which had contained fine imported cigars found ON
these trains boldly used by the to hold their caps
and overas and lanterns and waste stuff SO bold had
they become that the United states regulations strict as
they had lost all terror for them While the custom
house officers trying to trace the goods, and the
merchants here and elsewhere corresponding with
the shippers and the special agents at special pay were
wondering how this could possibly be- and loading down
the letter books with theories the thieves smoked their
IIabanas IL the very shadow OF tho court or custom
house and laughed at their masters who suffered the loss
Pan handle road made up stun taken out OF the
boose cars that evidence may be wanting when tho trial
particulars Freight trains have hauled up
at water stations and delay made I'LL the caboose was
procured against unsus spectcd railroad men which 1t Will
be hard TO overuTn. Almost every man arrested had
is represented on these tickets The thieves
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their swag," while the detective agency which has
been working the for eight months opened
shop that they might ulate evidence
against the arrested Aside from the encekcep
ersmany Innocent people the recipients OF the plum
der They feel their position kecny aud would willingly
surrender the goods could they escape publicity some
dashing young brakemcn In the Ninth Ward acquired
great popularity by the distribution of valuable presents
among their acquaintance Cut glassware, French
shoes fine wines and liquors. nickel plated revolvcrs
and host OF other expensive articles were distributed
| freely among favored friends.
When tie raid nj railroad boarding house was going
on att ed In dirty suit OF slkcn underwear
cruelty yankcd" out Of bed aud led on 10 jail ON
searching his the detectives found tw I've other
suits OF sikcn underwear and nearly many Old
had washing done and only wore suit until it became
real dirty when he would discard II for one. The
suit ne wore worth about Sl2 each. 40,
Attorney HAMPTON said: A deporabe feature OF the
Is the fact that they stealing whskey and con-
coang In their cab0oscs and many OF them were more
less drunk all the time Two OF those arrested this
morning drunk. superintendent Taylor became